Help Billing, Payroll & Cost Managers

Setting up file formats for time data exports

Before you can start using the Time Workbench to export time you’ll need to ensure a export format for your third-party app is in place. A default CSV export format exists, that will create a CSV file based solely on the data columns you've included in the export.

You might want to create a custom format to include fields that are exportable that don't display on the Time Workbench interface, such as client and time off booking ID, or to define fixed value columns, or to export to an FTPS server.

To add an export file format:

  1. Go to Cost > Time Workbench.
  2. Select the File Formats tab.

All the file formats that are currently available for use when exporting time display.

  1. Click Add File Format.
  2. Give the format a name.
  3. Click Add Column.

A row displays, with a drop-down Value field and a label that matches it.

Be sure to add columns in the order you want them to display (i.e. the first column should appear first). You can reorder them, if needed.

  1. Choose a column you’d like to include in your export – you can enter text in the field to search for the columns.

The label will be the column header in the exported file. If necessary, update the label to match the requirements of the app you'll be importing into.

A Fixed Value column is available in this list, which you can use to define values that don't change, like your company code. If you select Fixed Value, an additional field will display, where you can enter the value.

  1. Continue clicking Add Column and selecting values until you’ve added all the fields you need to export.
  2. Select the export option, either a file downloaded to your computer, or sent to an FTPS server for direct import. In the latter case, you'll need to specify the URL, user name, and password for the server.
  3. If necessary, based on the requirements of your import application, update the delimiter that will be used in the CSV file. This field defaults to a comma (,).
  4. Click Save.

The file format you added will now be available to select when you carry out an export.

Note that:

  • Time off booking ID if for the booking as a whole, not each day
  • The Client field will be blank, and not split into multiple rows, for cost allocated projects

FAQs

What is the maximum number of characters each field can support?

Refer to the table below for the number of characters supported for select export fields.

Field name

Character length

Time Entry ID

36

Short Entry ID

Maximum 19

Related links

Exporting time data using the Time Workbench
Creating and exporting time data exports
Selecting and reviewing time data for export
Using data import to mass add, update, and delete data
Mass moving time from one project or task to another in Replicon

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